Software viruses are an increasing problem for mobile communications device users. The term ‘virus’ is used herein to describe malware such as worms, viruses and trojans. Mobile communications device viruses can be spread between devices via data communication channels such as IMS, GPRS, MMS and Bluetooth™. For example, the Cabir worm infects mobile communications devices that use the Symbian based Series 60 user interface platform. The worm is packed in a Symbian installation file (.sis) and tries to spread to other mobile communications devices over Bluetooth. When installed in a communications device, the worm activates automatically and starts looking for other devices that use Bluetooth. Once Bluetooth communications devices in discoverable mode are found, the worm tries to replicate by sending a copy of itself to them. The worm activates itself if the user of the receiving communications device chooses to accept and install the received file named caribe.sis, which contains the worm. A person with an infected communications device could plausibly infect thousands of others simply by walking through a city centre during a busy afternoon.
The symptoms of mobile communications device viruses vary. For example, a virus could cause an infected communications device to send undetected premium rate text messages. A virus infection can also result in a total loss of data stored on a mobile communications device, which may include valuable contact information. In a worst-case scenario, the virus may cause a large number of users considerable damage by creating telecommunication charges, flooding the mobile operator's network with disruptive traffic and completely disabling mobile communications devices.
The damage caused by mobile communications device virus incidents includes terminal downtime, negative customer experience, slow service adoption, bad publicity, and increase the support load required of the service provider. The possibility of virus threats on mobile devices is increasing as more advanced handheld devices are introduced to the market. Unintentional vulnerabilities in mobile devices are causing more and more problems.
Anti-virus software for mobile communications devices is available, e.g. F-Secure® Mobile Anti-Virus (F-Secure Corporation, Helsinki, Finland). However, many users do not take advantage of anti-virus software and so are not protected against infection by a virus. In the case of an unprotected device, when a user's mobile device has become infected, the user will typically take the device to a mobile telephone repair shop or other service point. The communications device is often turned off when the user brings it into a mobile telephone repair shop. Typically, the first thing that a person attempting to repair the device will do is turn the device on. When the communications device is turned on at the repair shop it can start spreading the virus before any anti-virus or disinfection software has been installed and operated. For example, a worm such as Cabir can connect to other Bluetooth communications devices and spread further before the worm is removed.